A North Augusta woman said she was assaulted by a hitchhiker she picked up Thursday, according to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.
The 53-year-old victim said she gave the suspect a ride to a gas station in North Augusta about 1:30 p.m., according to a sheriff's report. The suspect then asked the victim to take him to the baseball field in Clearwater to help his brother, whose vehicle had allegedly broken down.
When they got to the field on Stadium Circle, the suspect jumped out of the truck bed, opened the door and struck the victim in the face while trying to steal her vehicle, police said. The victim said she sped off and returned home.
The suspect left a duffel bag in the truck's bed, police said. The suspect was described as a white male in his 30s, about 5-foot-9 and weighing 180 pounds.